Pulse of the NBA

New York, NY (Sports Network) - I love a good one liner. With that being said,
here's one line on all 30 NBA teams as we look ahead to the 2013-14 season.

ATLANTIC DIVISION

NEW YORK KNICKS: Iman Shumpert needs to elevate his game big time this season
if the Knicks hope to have more playoff success than last season.

BOSTON CELTICS: The rebuilding process is underway in Boston and it looks like
it's off to a good start with the draft-day trade for Kelly Olynyk, who showed
off a very versatile and high-level offensive skill set.

BROOKLYN NETS: The trade bringing Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn
was a no-brainer and highlighted the Nets' offseason, but I'm still trying to
find out how many rubles Andrei Kirilenko is getting under the table after
opting out of the final year of his contract with the Timberwolves for $10
million and signing with the Nets for two years at just over $3 million per
season.

PHILADELPHIA 76'ERS: In less than a one-year span the Sixers have seen the
exit of Andre Iguodala, Andrew Bynum, and Jrue Holiday, and now look forward
to a lost season and hope to luck out in what I believe is an overhyped 2014
draft.

TORONTO RAPTORS: A bulked up Jonas Valanciunas played very well in the Las
Vegas summer league, and he'll have to carry that over to the regular season
if the Raptors hope to be a playoff team.

CENTRAL DIVISION

CHICAGO BULLS: If Derrick Rose can return to his MVP form, the Bulls will be
the biggest threat to the Miami Heat's quest for a three-peat.

INDIANA PACERS: The Pacers had the second lowest scoring bench in the league
last season (24.1 ppg), but we should see a significant improvement this
season with the additions of Luis Scola and Chris Copeland, and either Danny
Granger or Lance Stephenson coming off the bench.

DETROIT PISTONS: With Detroit reportedly on the verge of acquiring Brandon
Jennings in a sign-and-trade with the Bucks, team president Joe Dumars better
hope that Jennings exhibits a lot better shot selection, shooting accuracy
(lifetime 39.4 percent field goal percentage) and point guard skills than he
did in Milwaukee.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: The Cavs took a limited risk on Andrew Bynum, but the
reward could be a playoff berth this season, and if his health holds up, a key
piece to a future title contender.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS: Larry Sanders made huge strides last season and finished
third in the voting for Most Improved Player, and I'm looking for the same
from second-year power forward John Henson, whose per-36 minute rate last
season was 16.5 ppg, 12.9 rpg and 1.8 blocks per game

SOUTHEAST DIVISION

MIAMI HEAT: The hardest part next season will be advancing to a fourth-
straight appearance in the NBA Finals, but if the Heat get there, I think it
means we'll see the first three-peat since the Lakers accomplished the feat in
2002.

ATLANTA HAWKS: Josh Smith exited via free agency, and Paul Millsap arrived in
Atlanta by the very same route, and all it means is that the Hawks will still
be a pretty ordinary team, that, at best, will make the playoffs and get
eliminated again in the first round.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS: John Wall finally looked like a top overall pick in the 49
games he played last season, and he'll have to continue to play at that level
if the Wizards hope to get their money's worth out the of expected max
contract they're expected to sign Wall to shortly.

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS: Cody Zeller, the fourth overall pick in the draft, is my
favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award.

ORLANDO MAGIC: After watching the second-overall pick in the draft, Victor
Oladipo, in summer league play, I have a feeling the Magic will regret the
selection.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

NORTHWEST DIVISION

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER: With the departure of Kevin Martin, the Thunder will
desperately need Reggie Jackson to be a significant contributor if OKC hopes
to be a true title contender.

DENVER NUGGETS: George Karl is out and Brian Shaw is in as the new head coach,
but what hasn't changed is the Nuggets lack the superstar needed to be a
championship contender.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: Kevin Love puts up great numbers, but let's see if
he's good enough to get the Wolves into the playoffs.

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS: You could make a strong case that the Blazers had the
worst bench in the league last season, but it got a nice boost over the summer
with the addition of first-round pick C.J. McCollum and the acquisition of
last year's fifth overall pick Thomas Robinson, who will finally get the
chance to show why he was a high lottery pick.

UTAH JAZZ: With the departure of free agent center Al Jefferson, Enes Kanter
will get big minutes, and I'm looking for a breakout season.

SOUTHWEST DIVISION

SAN ANTONIO SPURS: I can't wait to see what we get from Kawhi Leonard this
season following his terrific playoff showing last season.

HOUSTON ROCKETS: I'm just wondering if a certain free agent center who signed
with the Rockets will once again exhibit the athleticism and explosiveness he
had prior to his back problems.

DALLAS MAVERICKS: I love how owner Mark Cuban tries to spin another failed
offseason in the free agent market after foolishly letting Tyson Chandler walk
following the Mavs's championship season to open up future cap space.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: Without a big break like they got last year from Russell
Westbrook's season-ending injury, don't look for the Grizzlies to come close to
duplicating that kind of playoff success this season.

NEW ORLEANS PELICANS: Especially with the addition of point guard Jrue
Holiday, I'm looking for an all-star caliber season from Anthony Davis.

PACIFIC DIVISION

LOS ANGELES LAKERS: With Dwight Howard now an ex-Laker, I'm looking forward to
Pau Gasol showing Mike D'Antoni how foolish he was last season minimizing
Gasol's role and basically disrespecting his talents.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS: As far as being legitimate title contenders, all the new
additions (J.J. Redick, Jared Dudley, Darren Collison) won't matter unless
Blake Griffin all of a sudden becomes a great halfcourt player.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: Keeping Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut healthy and on
the court is what comes to mind when I think of the Warriors.

SACRAMENTO KINGS: It's put-up or shut-up time for DeMarcus Cousins as he
looks ahead to restricted free agency next summer.

PHOENIX SUNS: It's another cloudy forecast for the Suns, who seem to have a
really good chance of finishing with the worst record in the West for the
second straight season.